Expandable Pocket

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an expandable protective pocket arrangement comprising a back panel, two or more front side panels and at least one connecting member for connecting said front side panels, the connecting member or members being arranged to adjust the distance between the front side panels. 
     The present invention provides for a protective system which is expandable and thus able to enclose paper documents and other essentially flat media such as a laptop computers and portable electronic devices. This kind of protection system is particularly well suited to holding office paperwork and study materials. In the form of a simple pocket, it is also a useful addition to many existing filing products, such as a ring binders and lever arch files, which frequently include a way in which to accommodate un(hole)punched pages and other loose documents and reports.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to protective size-adjustable pockets,such as document folders or encasing sleeves for substantially flatelectronic devices.

STATE OF THE ART

Practically every office in the world contains a number of loose-leafdocument folders or wallets. One of the cheapest and most plentifulvarieties of such folders is known as the Three Flap Folder given thefact that the document storage pocket is created by folding andoverlapping front flaps (front side panels) on three of the four sidesof a rectangular paper-sized back panel. The document entry point on theopen side typically also has a larger flap on the fourth edge, whichwhen folded down secures the documents on all sides. These simplefolders are generally manufactured from stiff card or a plastic such aspolypropylene, and although they are strong enough for their purpose,they are built from a relatively flimsy construction and hence have onlya limited lifetime.

Most Three Flap Folders also possess an element of expandability builtinto their design. The volume of documents that may be contained can beincreased by adding a second fold to each flap, so creating a threedimensional box-like folder. Other common folders comprise anaccordion-style expandable pocket, which is intrinsically better suitedto carrying thicker document packages. However, given their complexstructure, the manufacture of such accordion folders requiresconsiderably more challenging manufacturing processes than do those forsimple Three Flap Folders.

Protective storage pockets are finding ever more applications in recentyears given the popularity of portable electronic devices. Thesegenerally take the form of a substantially flat padded pouch, glued orstitched on three sides, with a zip or other closure on the fourth. Mostcases and sleeves on the market are either designed to match the exactdimensions of a specific device, or approximate the dimensions of arange of similarly sized devices. Other products employ stretchymaterials such as neoprene in their construction, so rendering themsomewhat expandable, and hence able to hold a variety of devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a goal of the present invention to provide a pocket of variablethickness.

Therefore, the invention relates to an expandable pocket arrangement,the arrangement comprising a back panel, a plurality of front sidepanels which are connected to said back panel, and an adjustableconnecting member or members for connecting said front side panels toone another, so enabling the effective volume of the pocket formed to bevariable.

The present invention provides for a protective system which isexpandable and thus able to enclose paper documents and otheressentially flat media such as a laptop computers and portableelectronic devices. This kind of protection system is particularly wellsuited to holding office paperwork and study materials. In the form of asimple pocket, it is also a useful addition to many existing filingproducts, such as a ring binders and lever arch files, which frequentlyinclude a way in which to accommodate un(hole)punched pages and otherunbindable documents and reports.

In a particular embodiment the back panel is rectangular in shape suchthat its dimensions approximate that of a standardized paper size. Acommon example is the A4, or similar US Letter, paper format.

In a further embodiment the back panel may be polygonal, quadrilateral,triangular, circular or elliptical in shape.

In an embodiment the front side and/or back panels comprise asubstantially rigid, bendable, sheet material, such as polypropylene, orrigid cardboard.

In a further embodiment the front side and/or back panels comprise a lowfriction material.

In a further embodiment the front side and/or back panels comprise asubstantially flexible material, such as soft PVC, polyester, nylon,neoprene or leather.

In an embodiment the front side and/or back panels comprise a materialwhich can be bonded using standard electro-welding techniques orstitched with a sewing machine.

In a particular embodiment the arrangement comprises three front sidepanels, two of which are essentially triangular, with one of each beingconnected to the back panel along its two short edges, and the other,which is essentially trapezoidal, being connected to said back panelalong one of its two long edges. Furthermore, the longest edge of thetrapezoidal front side panel is approximately the same length as theback panel's long edge, to which it is connected along its full length.The triangular front side panels are approximately two thirds the lengthof the back panel's short edges, to which they are connected along theirfull length, at the side nearest the trapezoidal front side panel.

In an embodiment the front side panels have substantiallyself-complementary shapes. In a further embodiment theself-complementarily shaped front side panels together form a shapewhich is substantially rectangular.

In a further embodiment at least one of the front side panels has asubstantially non-rectangular shape.

In a further embodiment the front side panels can all be cut from asingle piece of material with substantially equivalent dimensions tothose of the back panel. In a further embodiment the front side panelscan all be cut from a single piece of material with substantiallyequivalent dimensions to those of the back panel using no more than twocuts. In a further embodiment the front side panels can all be cut froma single piece of material with substantially equivalent dimensions tothose of the back panel using exactly two full length diagonal cuts.

In a further embodiment the front side panels are separated into two ormore independent groups, each with their own connecting member ormembers.

In an embodiment the front side panels do not overlap one another whenplaced in their respective positions atop the back panel.

In a particular embodiment any overlapping regions of the front sidepanels serve no essential structural function but serve only to shieldthe corner regions of the pocket.

In an embodiment there are two connecting members, one each of whichconnects a point near the unattached apex of each triangular front sidepanel to a point on the nearest unattached angle of the trapezoidalfront side panel.

In an embodiment the front side panels are connected to the back panelby means of at least one connecting member.

In an embodiment the connecting members comprise bands, threads, wiresor strands. In a further embodiment the connecting members are flexible.

In an embodiment the connecting members comprise a stretchable material,such as elastic or rubber.

In an embodiment the three front side panels create a pocket arrangementwhen connected to the back panel and the connecting members without theneed for the front panels to substantially overlap one another. This issignificantly different from traditional Three Flap Folders, practicallyall of which require overlapping front side panels in order to form aviable pocket.

In a particular embodiment the back panel and front side panels are cutfrom a single piece of material as a single entity.

In an embodiment the connecting member or members are arranged to adjustthe distance between the connected regions of the front panels.

In a further embodiment the front side panels comprise at least oneconnection point for detachably fastening the connecting member ormembers.

In an embodiment movement of one of the front panels in the plane of theback panel induces movement in one or more of the other front sidepanels. In a further embodiment movement of any one of the front sidepanels in the plane of the back panel induces movement in all of theother front side panels.

According to a further embodiment an additional, independent panel isconnected to a completely free edge of the back panel so creating a flapclosure. In a particular embodiment an elasticated loop is added to theflap closure and a button-type fixture is added to a position on one ofthe front side panels, so creating a securable closure mechanism. Othersuitable types of closures include Velcro tape and adjustable strapswith poppers or buckles.

In an embodiment the back panel comprises a plurality of panels, whereinthe panels are connected with at least one connecting member. In afurther embodiment a plurality of back panels comprise equivalent shapesto the front side panels, so resulting in the creation of a symmetricalpocket arrangement wherein the front-side resembles the back-side.

The invention also relates to a method of creating an expandable pocketfor protecting paper-based media, substantially flat electronic devicesor other book-shaped objects by means of an arrangement described above.The method comprises:

-   -   placing a back panel at a first side of the flat media;    -   placing a plurality of front side panels at a second side of the        flat media, opposite the first side;    -   connection of front side panels to the back panel;    -   connection of front side panels by means of a connecting member;    -   adjusting the length of the connecting member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of exampleonly, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which correspondingreference symbols indicate corresponding parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view (pocket side view) of the back panel of a ‘twocorner’ expandable pocket;

FIG. 2 shows the effective cutting pattern for the three front sidepanels of a ‘two corner’ expandable pocket when obtained from a singlepiece of material;

FIG. 3 shows the shapes of the three front side panels required for theformation of a ‘two corner’ expandable pocket;

FIG. 4 is a front view showing three side panels in position on the backpanel prior to assembly of a ‘two corner’ expanding pocket;

FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating the points at which the front sidepanels are connected to the back panel of a ‘two corner’ expandingpocket;

FIG. 6 is a front view showing the position of the connecting members onthe front side panels;

FIG. 7 illustrates the connection of three front side panels with asingle linear connecting member;

FIG. 8 illustrates the connection of three front side panels with acircular connecting member;

FIG. 9 illustrates the connection of three front side panels with amanually adjustable connecting member;

FIG. 10 is a front view of an assembled ‘two corner’ expanding pocketwith a securable flap closure;

FIG. 11 is a front view of a ‘one corner’ expanding pocket formed fromtwo front side panels;

FIG. 12 is a front view of a ‘four corner’ expanding pocket formed fromfour front side panels;

FIG. 13 is a front view of a ‘two corner’ expanding pocket formed fromthree triangular front side panels;

FIG. 14 is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expandingpocket cut from a single piece of material;

FIG. 15 is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expandingpocket and flap closure cut from a single piece of material;

FIG. 16 is a rear view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expandingpocket and securable flap closure cut from a single piece of material;

FIG. 17 is a front view of an expanded ‘two corner’ pocket when holdinga quantity of flat media;

FIG. 18 shows the shapes of the three front side panels required for theformation of a ‘two corner’ expandable pocket with corner modifications;

FIG. 19 is a front view of an assembled ‘two corner’ expanding pocketwith corner modifications;

FIG. 20 is a front view of an expanded ‘two corner’ pocket with cornermodifications when holding a quantity of flat media;

FIG. 21 is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expandingpocket with corner modifications cut from a single piece of material;

FIG. 22 is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expandingpocket with corner modifications and flap closure cut from a singlepiece of material;

FIG. 23 is a rear view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expandingpocket with corner modifications and securable flap closure cut from asingle piece of material;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

According to an embodiment, a protective expandable pocket arrangementcomprises a back panel, a plurality of front side panels and one or moreconnecting members. Connecting members connect the front side panels toone another, so forming a pocket when the front side panels are alsoconnected to the back panel. In an embodiment one or more of theconnecting members may comprise a stretchable material, such as elastic,so rendering the pocket automatically expandable when media is insertedfrom one side. In an embodiment, a ‘two corner’ expandable pocketapproximating the size of A4 (or similar US Letter) paper is constructedfrom a rectangular back panel of a thin sheet of a plastic, such aspolypropylene, and three polygonal front side panels of a flexiblematerial, such as polyester or polypropylene.

FIG. 1 shows the back panel 1 for a ‘two corner’ pocket arrangement andits division into two distinct sections. Section 2 shows the area to becovered by the pocket once assembled, whereas section 3 remainsuncovered. Line 4 illustrates this separation, and the point at whichthe pocket opening is created.

FIG. 2 shows a rectangle of material 5 of the size of back panel 1 fromwhich three self-complementary front side panels for a ‘two corner’pocket arrangement’ are cut. Front side panel 6 is trapezoidal in shapeand designed to stretch along the left edge of back panel 1. Front sidepanels 7,8, which are designed to stretch along the top and bottom edgesof back panel 1, are triangular in shape and approximately two-thirdsthe width of back panel 1.

FIG. 3 shows the self-complementary shapes of the three front sidepanels 6,7,8.

FIG. 4 shows the three front side panels 6,7,8 assembled in theirrespective positions above the pocket section 2 of back panel 1.

FIG. 5 shows the points 9 at which the front side panels 6,7,8 areconnected to the edges of the back panel 1. This join can be made in anumber of ways, depending on the materials employed. In the case of anall plastic pocket, electro-welding is a very common way to join twopieces. Glue is also an option, depending on the plastic employed.Should the pocket be made from a fabric such as polyester (or polyesterfront side panels with a polypropylene back panel), then the componentpieces can easily be stitched together with a sewing machine. The points10 simply indicate the juncture of the trapezoidal front side panel 6with the triangular front side panels 7,8, illustrating that they meetat a point rather than needing to be overlapped to form the basis for apocket. In contrast with most traditional Three Flap Folders, no overlapbetween the front side panels is required in this particular embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates how two connecting members 11 are employed to jointhe attachment points 12 (on front side panel 6) and 13 (on front sidepanels 7,8), close to the juncture 10, so creating a working pocket. Alength of flat or round elastic is a natural choice for the connectingmember 11 in this arrangement since its incorporation renders the pocketautomatically expandable. The attachment points 12,13 could take manyforms, depending on how the connecting member is terminated. The mostsimple solution being that the attachment points 12,13 represent smalleyelet holes through which a length of elastic is threaded, before beingknotted at each end.

FIG. 7 shows an alternative connecting member 14, made from a singlelength of material, such as elastic, which spans the distance betweenthe attachment points 13 on the upper 7 and lower 8 triangular frontside panels. In order to connect with the trapezoidal front side panel6, the connecting member 14 must therefore be able to pass freelythrough the routing points 15, which necessarily take the form of a loopor eyelet. This approach is likely better in practice than thatdescribed in FIG. 6, since the connecting member spans the full widthbetween the upper 7 and lower 8 triangular front side panels, withouthindrance, hence increasing the pocket's overall expandability.

FIG. 8 is a natural extension to the approach described in FIG. 7, withthe connecting member 16 being circular rather than linear. In thisinstance, there are no attachment points for the connecting member, butinstead it passes freely through the routing points 15,17 on the frontside panels.

FIG. 9 illustrates an extremely flexible solution in which the lengthsof the connecting members 16,17 are determined by the manuallyadjustable link 18. This ultimately allows for an element of control ofthe expandability of an elasticated connecting member, which isparticularly useful when at its maximum stretch, since a smalladjustment can considerably decrease the tension on the pocket.Furthermore, this approach also makes it practicable to employ aninelastic material, such as a thin nylon cord, as the connecting membergiven that it can be manually tightened or slackened in order to adjustthe effective volume of the pocket.

FIG. 10 shows a front view of an assembled ‘two corner’ expanding pocket19 with an optional and securable flap closure 20. This arrangement verymuch resembles the overall appearance of existing Three Flap Folders,while at the same time offering the added functionality of automaticexpandability. The pocket illustrated here differs only from thatdescribed by FIG. 6 in that it has a flap closure 20, attached to theright edge of the back panel 1. The pocket, which can at this point beconsidered to be a fully-fledged document folder, is closed by foldingthe flap closure 20 at the crease points 21. The contents may be furthersecured by a connecting a fastening mechanism, such as the loop 22,conceivably made from a stretchable material such as elastic, to thebutton 23 attached to one of the front side panels. Other low profilefastening devices such as poppers, buckles or Velcro tape could beemployed for this purpose.

FIG. 11 shows a front view of an assembled ‘one corner’ expandingpocket. Here, the design and construction is the same as that describedby FIG. 6, with the exception that two adjacent triangular front sidepanels 24,25 are employed rather than three front side panels, with theresult being that the pocket covers one rather than two corners of backpanel 1. Consequently, the front side panels are attached to back panel1 along only two edges 26, and only a single connecting member 27 isrequired. The result is a triangular pocket with an angled opening 28.This kind of ‘L’ pocket is frequently found in leather portfolios andwriting cases, where it is employed to hold a writing pad or a smallquantity of documents. The added functionality of convenientexpandability potentially gives the ‘L’ pocket a much greater capacityand many more uses.

FIG. 12 shows a front view of an assembled ‘four corner’ expandingpocket. Here, the design and construction is the same as that describedby FIG. 6, with the exception that four front side panels 29,30 areemployed rather than three front side panels, with the result that thepocket covers the whole of back panel 1. The front side panels areattached to back panel 1 along three edges 31, with four connectingmembers 32 being employed to connect them to one another. The result isa rectangular pocket with an opening 33 along the right edge of backpanel 1. This kind of pocket is potentially applicable to the design ofprotective sleeves for portable electronic devices, given that itessentially forms an expandable pouch which encases the device on allsides. For such an application to be practical, a fastening mechanismsuch as a zip would be required to seal the open edge 33.

FIG. 13 is a simple variation of FIG. 6, which utilizes three triangularfront side panels, rather than having a trapezoidal front side panel onthe left edge. This variation is noteworthy in the fact that the totallength of the connecting member 34 is as short as it can be, and hencethe area of the gap created in the centre of the pocket when expanded isat its least for any given quantity of contents. A shorter connectingmember leads to a lower volume, less expandable pocket. Apart from this,the choice as to whether to employ the system as described in FIG. 6 orFIG. 13, or one in between, is simply an issue of design, and depends onthe specific needs of the user.

FIG. 14 is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expandingpocket cut from a single piece of material 35. In effect, this is thesame arrangement that is described in FIG. 6. A one piece design isperfect for a material such as extruded polypropylene sheet, from whichmany existing Three Flap Folders are made, given that large quantitiesof products can be manufactured in an extremely cost-effective mannerusing well established procedures. Here, the back panel 36 is alreadyconnected to the three front side panels 37,38,39, and assembly of therequisite pocket shape is readily achieved by folding them across thecrease lines 40. Further to this, the pocket is completed by joining theappropriately positioned attachment points 41 with one or moreconnecting members.

FIG. 15 is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expandingpocket and flap closure cut from a single piece of material 42. Here, arectangular flap closure 43 is added, on the right edge, to the samedesign described in FIG. 14, with the result being a folder that is verysimilar in appearance to that of many of the marketplace's most simpleand least expensive Three Flap Folders. The flap closure 43 is closed byfolding it across the crease line 44.

FIG. 16 is a rear view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expandingpocket and securable flap closure cut from a single piece of material45. Here, the flap 46 is enhanced, in that once closed by folding itacross the crease lines 47, it can be secured by securing the loop 48 tothe button 49, in a similar manner to that described with FIG. 10.

FIG. 17 is a front view of an expanded ‘two corner’ pocket when holdinga quantity of flat media 50, such as a stack of A4 or US Letter sizedpaper documents with a height of approximately 4 cm. In this case, witha significant amount of expansion required, the connecting members 51can be seen to have considerably lengthened. Additionally, gaps can beseen to have formed at the corners of the pocket 52, as the narrowercentral regions (close to the connecting members) of the front sidepanels have been drawn apart by the thickness of the media and theresultant expansion. The wider outer regions of the front side panelsare not visible given that they are held perpendicular to the back panel1, so cradling the media on three sides. What FIG. 17 illustrates isthat although the contents are strongly held on three sides when usingdiagonally cut front side panels, the corners of the contained media canbe somewhat exposed without additional coverage. This last point isaddressed from FIG. 18 on.

FIG. 18 shows the shapes of the three modified (with respect to thosedescribed in FIG. 3) front side panels 53,54,55 required for theformation of a ‘two corner’ expandable pocket with additional coveragefor the corners. A total of four triangular shaped modifications 56,57,two each at the top and bottom, ensure full overlap at the corners whenthe pocket is expanded. The positions of the attachment points 58 forthe connecting members are unchanged from those in FIG. 3.

FIG. 19 is a front view of an assembled ‘two corner’ expanding pocketwith corner modifications. At the left edge, what was formerly thetrapezoidal side panel 6 of FIG. 6, is now observed to be a mostlyrectangular polygon 53. The polygonal front side panel 53 can beobserved in full, since in this embodiment it sits above the upper 54and lower 55 front side panels, which can therefore only be viewed inpart due to the overlapping regions 56. For the same reason, the points59 at which the upper 54 and lower 55 front side panels are connected tothe back panel 1 are only partially visible, whereas that for the leftfront side panel 60 is visible in full. Also shown are the freeunattached, overlapping edge of the left front side panel 61 and theconnecting members 62.

FIG. 20 is a front view of an expanded ‘two corner’ pocket with cornermodifications when holding a quantity of flat media 63, such as a stackof A4 paper documents with a height of approximately 4 cm. As in FIG.17, a significant amount of expansion is observed with the connectingmembers 64 being considerably lengthened. However, with the inclusion offront side panel modifications, there are no longer exposed areas in thecorner regions 65.

FIG. 21 is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expandingpocket with corner modifications cut from a single piece of material 66.This is effectively the same arrangement that is described in FIGS. 18and 19. Here, the back panel 67 is already connected to the three frontside panels 68,69,70, and assembly of the requisite pocket shape isreadily achieved by folding them across the crease lines 71. Further tothis, the pocket is completed by joining the appropriately positionedattachment points 72 with one or more connecting members.

FIG. 22 is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expandingpocket with corner modifications and flap closure cut from a singlepiece of material 73. Here, a rectangular flap closure 74 has beenadded, on the right edge, to the same design described in FIG. 21. Theflap closure 74 is closed by folding it across the crease line 75. Theresult is a folder arrangement with an outward appearance that isextremely similar to many Three Flap Folders on the market today.

FIG. 23 is a rear view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expandingpocket with corner modifications and securable flap closure cut from asingle piece of material 76. Here, the flap 77 is enhanced, in that onceclosed by folding it across the crease line 78, it can be secured byattaching the loop 79 to the button 80, in a similar manner to thatdescribed in FIG. 10.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described above,it will be appreciated that the invention may be practiced otherwisethan as described. The descriptions above are intended to beillustrative, not limiting. Thus, it will be apparent to one skilled inthe art that modifications may be made to the invention as describedwithout departing from the scope of the claims set out below.

1. A protective pocket arrangement comprising: a back panel; a pluralityof front side panels; at least one connecting member for connecting saidfront side panels.
 2. A protective pocket arrangement according to claim1, wherein said front side panels are connected to said back panel.
 3. Aprotective pocket arrangement according to claim 1, wherein saidconnecting member comprises at least one flexible element.
 4. Aprotective pocket arrangement according to claim 1, wherein saidconnecting member comprises at least one of a band, a thread, a wire anda strand.
 5. A protective pocket arrangement according to claim 1,wherein said connecting member may be joined in an adjustablearrangement.
 6. A protective pocket arrangement according to claim 1,wherein said connecting member comprises an elastic material.
 7. Aprotective pocket arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said backpanel and/or said front side panels comprise a substantially rigidsheet-like material.
 8. A protective pocket arrangement according toclaim 1, wherein said back panel and/or said front side panels comprisea substantially bendable material.
 9. A protective pocket arrangementaccording to claim 1, wherein said back panel and/or said front sidepanels comprise a low friction material.
 10. A protective pocketarrangement according to claim 1, wherein said back panel has asubstantially rectangular shape.
 11. A protective pocket arrangementaccording to claim 1, wherein said front side panels have substantiallyself-complementary shapes.
 12. A protective pocket arrangement accordingto claim 1, wherein said front side panels do not overlap one anotherwhen placed in their respective positions atop said back panel.
 13. Aprotective pocket arrangement according to claim 1, wherein anyoverlapping regions of said front side panels serve no essentialstructural function but serve only to shield the corner regions of saidpocket.
 14. A protective pocket arrangement according to claim 1,wherein said back panel and said front side panels can be cut from asingle piece of material as a single entity.
 15. Method for protectingpaper-based media, substantially flat electronic devices or otherbook-shaped objects using an arrangement according to claim 1.